ither the officers were remarkably
short-sighted, or ... something worse.

It was still possible for the commandos to retire in the direction of
Oldenburg or of Witzeshoek. But instead of getting this done with all
speed, Mr. Prinsloo began a correspondence with General Hunter about
this ridiculous armistice, which the English general of course refused
to grant.

It was on July the 29th, 1900, that Prinsloo, with all the burghers on
the mountains, surrendered unconditionally to the enemy.

The circumstances of this surrender were so suspicious, that it is hard
to acquit the man who was responsible for it of a definite act of
treachery; and the case against him is all the more grave from the fact
that Vilonel, who was at that time serving a term of imprisonment for
high treason, had a share in the transaction.

Prinsloo's surrender included General Crowther, Commandants Paul De
Villiers, Ferreira, Joubert, Du Plooij, Potgieter, Crowther, Van der
Merve, and Roux; and about three thousand men.

The most melancholy circumstance about the whole affair was that, when
the surrender was made, some of the burghers had reached the farm of
Salamon Raath, and were thus as good as free, and yet had to ride back,
and to go with the others to lay down their arms.

As to Roux, the deposed Commander-in-Chief, there is a word to be added.
I had always heard that he was a very cautious man, and yet on this
occasion he acted like a child, going _in person_ to General Hunter's
camp to protest against the surrender, on the ground that it was he
(Roux), and not Prinsloo, that was Commander-in-Chief. One can hardly
believe that he really thought it possible thus to nullify Prinsloo's
act. But he certainly behaved as if he did, and his ingenuous conduct
must have afforded much amusement to the English general.

If any one is in doubt as to what was the result of General Roux's
absurd escapade, I have only to say that the English had one prisoner
the more!

Those who escaped were but few. Of all our large forces, there were only
Generals Froneman, Fourie and De Villiers (of Harrismith); Commandants
Hasebroek, Olivier, Visser, Kolbe, and a few others; a small number of
burghers, and six or seven guns, that did not fall into the hands of the
English.

What, then, is to be our judgment on this act of Prinsloo and of the
other chief officers in command of our forces behind the Roodebergen?

That it was nothing short of an act of murder,